Spring mounting for dirigible road wheels



Aug. 26, 1952 L. D. WATTS 0 SPRING MOUNTING FOR DIRIGIBLE ROAD WHEELS Filed Aug. 11, 1949 s Sheew-oneet 1 FlG.l.

/7 l l-vs-ro2 LA ues/vce DEREK WATTS Arne/45v.

Aug. 26, 1952 L. D. WATTS 2,608,419

SPRING MOUNTING FOR DIRIGIBLE ROAD WHEELS Filed Aug. 11, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 LAueewc's DEREK Man's 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOQ LAURENCE DEREK Mrrrs ATTORNEY FIG-.6.

1 1 IIIIII L D WATTS SPRING MOUNTING FOR DIRIGIBLE ROAD WHEELS Aug. 26, 1952 Flled Aug 11, 1949 Patented Aug. 26, 1952 SPRING MOUNTING FOR DIRIGIIBLE ROAD:

. WHEELS LaurenceDerek Watts, Chorley Wood, England, assignor to 'Scamn'iell Lorries Limited, Watford WbsLEngland, a British company Application August 11, 1949, Serial No. 109,772 In Great Britain September 15, 1948 I I 3 Claims. (01. zen-#9 2) The present invention relates to improvements in and relating to the mounting and suspension of steering road wheels of vehicles.

The invention is primarily'intended to be applied to individual steering road wheels in which the vehicle is three wheeled having a single steering wheel usually mounted at. the front of the vehiclebut it is to be understood that the invention is applicable to vehicles where two steering road wheels are used, as for example a four wheel vehicle.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved simple and efiective mounting and operating mechanism, and one in which the steering mechanism per se is mounted and combined with a front wheel suspension in such a manner as to permit relative movement between the wheel axle and the frame for the absorption of road shocks and to damp out oscillations.

Thus a mounting and suspension for a steering wheel according to the present invention comprises a steering pivot mounted in a housing or box and having gearing adapted to work in conjunction with gearing at the end of the steering column, an arm on said steering pivot attached to a suspension column, a shaft mounted at the lower end of the suspension column, a crank thereon, a wheel axle on said crank, and spring Suspension means housed in the suspension column and acting on the aforesaid shaft, the parts being so arranged as to allow relative movement between the suspension column and its associated parts and the wheel axle and its associated parts.

The accompanying drawings illustrate by way of example the invention as applied to a three wheeled vehicle having a single steering wheel mounted at the front thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a rear view of the complete unit showing the mounting of the road wheel and the steering gear partly in section.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, to a somewhat larger scale, through a spring suspension column hereinafter described.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on A--A of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the steering gear on the axis of the steering pivot.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the steering gear with the steering column broken away for convenience of illustration, and

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of the lower end of the steering column.

The vehicle is guided by means of the usual steering wheel (not shown) through steering mechanism comprising the raked steering column 6 attached to the steering wheel aforesaid.

The steering gear, that is the gear which converts the rotary motion of the steering wheel into a fore and aft swing of the steering column 6 consists of av steering pivot P'mounted in. bearings l and 2 in a box or housing '3 secured by brackets 4 to a transverse frame member5 of the chassis, which in the particular example is a three wheeled tractorxThe bearings I Tand- 2 may be of any suitable type,-those shown. being a ball bearing Z and a plain journal or liner bearing l. "i I The box or housing 3 has a cover cap 3a.

The steering column 6 carries a skew-gear or worm I gearing with a skew-gear or worm wheel 8 on the steering pivot P (see Figs. 1, 4 and 5). Other suitable kinds of steering mechanism may be used in lieu of the above.

A front spring suspension is provided.

On the lower end of the steering pivot P is secured a laterally directed arm 9, the end of which forms a cover Set for a spring suspension hollow column or cylinder I0. Within this column is a coil spring I I. An additional spring or springs may be used and the springs may be arranged concentrically. The spring or springs work between the cover 9a and a piston l2.

The piston I2 is connected by a link I3 to a crank I4 on a transverse shaft I5 mounted in bearings I Set in a housing or casing I6 secured to the lower end of the suspension column Ill. The housing I 6 has an end cover plate Ilia.

The suspension column II] and the housing I6 are filled with suitable oil 3| to provide a hydraulic damper action on the piston I2. The aperture I2a in the piston I2 is of a size selected to efiect the desired predetermined rate or degree of damping action. A removable plug Sb is provided in the cover 9a for inserting or replenishing the oil.

A resilient rebound bumper I! is secured to the housing I6 to limit the downward movement of the piston I2. It will be seen that relative oscillating movement can take place between the suspension column III and the shaft I5.

The road wheel I8 is detachably mounted on an axle I9 on an external crank 26 of the shaft I5. The external crank 20 is preferably set at a suitable angle of about 15 to the internal crank I4.

As shown the road wheel I8 has a rim for holding a pneumatic or other tyre. The rim is clamped by bolts IBa to a flange I8b on the wheel hub I8c.

The piston I2 has a flange or boss I22) against which one end of the spring II is seated. The

The steering column may be set at'any suitable angle to the horizontal.

Where two steering road wheels are used for a four-wheeled vehicle only one steering gear is required as in this case the'steering pivots or the arms 9 may be connected by the usual transverse steering link.

I claim: v

1. In a wheeled vehicle, a steering wheel mounting comprising a cylinder having a cover" on one end, a hollow housing closing the other end of said cylinder, a piston positioned within said cylinder, a compression spring positioned within said cylinder and positioned between and abutting the upper face of the piston and the lower surface of the cover and arranged to act against said piston, a shaft passing through said housing transverse to said cylinder, two cranks mounted on said shaft, one of said cranks being mounted on that portion of the shaft which is enclosed within said housing. and being connected to said piston by means of a link, the second crank being positioned on one end of said shaft outside said housing and having a wheel mounted thereon, an aperture in said piston providing communication between the cylinder and said housing, and a fluid'contained in the space enclosed by said cylinder and said housing to dampen movement of said piston caused by oscillation of said wheel.

2. A steering wheel mounting as recited in claim 1 including an arm, one end of said arm secured to the upper surface of said cylinder cover and the other end of said arm adapted to be mounted on a steering pivot.

3. A steering wheel mounting as recited in claim 1 including a resilient bumper secured within said housing and in the path of travel of said first crank to limit downward movement of said first mentioned crank which is enclosed within said housing.

LAURENCE DEREK WATTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this, patent; V V

France Jan.. 4, 1937 

